Title page for Fairytales From The Arabian Nights.



Title page and illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley from Le Morte d'Arthur.

After 85 years, Stacey's Books in downtown SF will be closing its doors for good come mid-march. I picked up a few goodies that, while I could've gotten them cheaper at amazon, I just wanted NOW, dammit. Nerd on.

Album of the Week

Emmylou Harris, All I Intended To Be

Wrecking Ball is still my favorite album of hers, but this one released last June is a definite contender for #2. There are some self-penned tunes mixed in with the usual interpretations of other artists' songs that Ms. Harris seems so effortlessly able to make her own, including 'Moon Song" (Patty Griffin), "All That You Have Is Your Soul" (Tracy Chapman) and "Kern River" (Merle Haggard).
Picked up the double LP version of this gem of a record, which I believe is the first of her Nonesuch albums to get the vinyl treatment. It comes packaged with a CD of the whole album, which never fails to rock my socks.

Graves At Sea • Slim's • January 11, 2008

Album(s) of the Week

Gotta love collages. The 'Person Pitch' artwork looks great in LP format, all nice and big & colorful, though I wish 'Cusp' had been given the vinyl treatment as well.

Panda Bear, Person Pitch



Everlovely Lightningheart, Cusp

Diana Krall Trio • Yoshi's • January 1, 1999

Neurosis • Great American Music Hall • December 31, 2007

A whole year has passed already and here we are again on New Year's Eve. It's like I was just at this show. The behemoth metal machine that is Neurosis sent me into 2008 in grand rockin' style. This year it'll be my fav comedian, Patton Oswalt, that'll usher me and J into what I hope to be a great new year.

B-52s • S.F. Civic Auditorium • December 30, 1989

I remember the band bouncing onto the stage and Fred Schneider offering an exuberant 'Hi!' to the audience a split second before the band launched full on into 'Cosmic Thing' and the place going bananas. Good times.

The Cult • Cow Palace • December 27, 1989

The cavernous echo chamber aka the Cow Palace + a singer who could barely keep up with the music + songs that would've been better served if the band had a rhythm guitarist = A huge letdown. Wasn't till 1999 when I saw them again for the 'Phoenix Rising' tour that they fully redeemed themselves in my eyes (and ears).